The Laziz Project

The world feels like it’s spinning faster than ever, and the things we once thought were certain seem to be shifting. Now more than ever, we need community—spaces filled with kindness, understanding, and people who lift each other up. At Café Laziz, we create just that. Tomorrow, we’ll be serving up delicious international food, prepared with love by people who came to this country seeking safety and a better life. Join us for a meal, for a conversation, for a moment of connection. Let’s share experiences, listen to each other, and build the kind of community that the world needs right now. Come for the food, stay for the friendships. 💛 #CommunityMatters #CafeLaziz #TogetherWeThrive #SanctuaryForAll

What a day we had yesterday! Graffiti art with Tom Glynn of HipHop - UC Crew, a wonderfully busy, buzzy cafe and a very successful cooking class The Riddling Rack. Great day! Great things are happening in St Helens 🤩 See you next Thursday at Chain Lane for more fun, food and warm welcomes from the newest members of our international community 🤩 #migrationislife #nooneisillegal #refugeeswelcome #asylumseekerswelcome

Today, on National Holocaust Memorial Day, let's take a moment to reflect and remember. It is a solemn reminder of the importance of using our voices and our privileges to speak up for the oppressed, stand against tyranny in all its forms, and to extend support to those in need. Let us honour the memory of those who suffered by committing to build a world where understanding, compassion, and justice prevail. Together, we can ensure the lessons of the past shape a brighter and more inclusive future. #HolocaustMemorialDay #Remember #TogetherForHumanity

Goodbye 2024, Hello 2025! What a whirlwind 2024 was for us! We’re so proud of the strides we’ve made in reaching people, breaking down barriers, and undoing some of the negative effects of this divisive rhetoric heard all too often at this current time. As we look ahead to 2025, we’re ready to dream bigger, reach further, and make an even greater impact. Our stats speak for themselves, but it’s the stories, connections, and shared experiences that truly define what we do. Here’s how you can support us and be part of the change: Need catering? Let us prepare something delicious for your next event. Offer opportunities. Provide a work placement/ work experience to one of our talented volunteers. Invite us to speak. We can visit your team to share real-life stories, answer questions, and foster understanding about why people are here, how they got here, and their hopes for the future. Learn to cook with us. Let us take over your kitchen and teach you how to create some of our amazing dishes. Whether it’s with your time, resources, or financial support, every contribution makes a difference. Together, we can break down barriers, build empathy, and create a stronger community. 2024 showed us that incredible things happen when people come together. Let’s make 2025 a year of even greater understanding, connection, and community. Do good. Eat good. Feel good. Get in touch if this resonates with you – we’d love to hear from you! #Breakingdownbarriers #nooneisillegal #StHelens #refugeeswelcome #TogetherWeAreStronger Claire Nicholls The Laziz Project

What a week, what a team! Christmas has arrived at Cafe Laziz HQ! 🎅 🎄🎉😍

Last night on my way to bed, I checked my work phone. Rooky error. I'm glad I did. I was horrified to find that there was a message from yet another recently granted refugee asking me for help. He had been thrown out of his asylum accommodation and had been sleeping outside in a park for five nights. Now, it is easy to read about people being homeless and to not really take in all that it entails. It is sleeping, in a sleeping bag, outside on the cold hard ground. It is not having somewhere to go to at the end of the day. It is the worry of needing the toilet and not having anywhere to go. It is the cold seeping through to your bones. Imagine that. My friend is sleeping outside in a park in St Helens in December after fleeing a war zone and travelling across the world looking for a better life. This is what we offer him. I am sick with shame that this is the situation and that the only advice I have been told to give him is to sleep in the centre of town so that he can be verified as rough sleeping. Only after three nights will he be offered an emergency bed. There is a Bill being discussed in Parliament to lengthen the 'move-on' period from 28 days to 56 - in line with the Homelessness Reduction Act 2017. At the moment, newly granted refugees are given 28 days to find a job, find accommodation, open a bank account and claim Universal Credit. Imagine doing all these things in a language that is not yours? Imagine doing this whilst suffering trauma from your life experiences? Imagine doing this with the fear of homelessness biting at your heels? 56 days seems more doable. Another perfectly reasonable suggestion in my opinion is to let these qualified, capable, eager individuals work while they are waiting for their decision. Some asylum seekers wait years for a decision to be made on their case and this time is wasted waiting. Why not allow them to work after six months? This way they are already in a more solid position when they become refugees, they already have an income and they may even have been able to save something so that they have money to privately rent. The current system is setting them up for failure before they've even begun and it is forcing capable, qualified people into destitution. This horror has to stop. I have written to my MP to ask him to raise this issue. Will you? https://lnkd.in/e_kc2BAe

What a week we've had! This week has been a whirlwind of activity: ✨ Classes, conversation clubs, and our cafe bustling with life ✨ A fantastic catering event for Kindred LCR and Platform Places in Kindred's inspiring new space in St Helens. Exciting things are truly happening here in St Helens, and we’re thrilled to be part of it! We also had a visit from Ali of Just Good Work (justgood.work), whose incredible app has the potential to support our volunteers in finding good, safe jobs when the time comes. Through it all, the heart of what we do remains constant: the people we support. 💙Those who have just arrived in the UK, seeking a safe haven 💙Refugees navigating a new chapter, facing work, housing, and social challenges 💙Asylum seekers enduring the long, uncertain wait for a decision They are why we do what we do. A huge thank you to everyone who supports us—you make this work possible. 🙏 If you have ideas for collaborations or opportunities that could help us continue making an impact, we’d love to hear from you! Let’s keep building a community that makes a difference. #Collaboration #RefugeeSupport #CommunityImpact #StHelens #Kindred

✨ **First Conversation Café at Café Laziz!** ✨ Today marked a beautiful milestone with our first **Conversation Café** at Café Laziz, where we invited sanctuary seekers living in hotels to join us for a warm, welcoming conversation over coffee and good food. ☕🍰 We talked about food, colours and how they make us feel, and shared thoughts on Remembrance Day—a tradition many had noticed through poppies around but hadn’t understood the meaning. It was a chance to bridge cultures, share experiences, and learn together. The café was buzzy, joyful, and full of laughter—a true reflection of the magic that Café Laziz brings to life. Music, delicious food, and genuine conversations created a unique space where strangers became friends. I feel truly privileged to be part of this experience and to call this "work"! Here's to more shared moments, building connections, and spreading kindness. 💫 #ConversationCafe #CafeLaziz #CommunityBuilding #SanctuarySeekers #ConnectionThroughConversation